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Explore This Park

Plan Your Visit

People visit Yellowstone and discover an amazing variety of experiences and destinations. We hope you'll have fun, make lifelong memories, and enjoy this special place.

Top Things To Know

Pack your patience: hundreds of thousands of people visit Yellowstone during the months of June, July, and August. It's also a big place: traffic and road construction often make drive times longer than expected.

Early birds avoid crowds and traffic: visit the park during nonpeak hours (before 9 am and after 3 pm) and seasons (April/May, September/October). Check out our list of seasonal highlights.

Plan ahead: campgrounds and lodges fill early, so finding a place to sleep at the last minute is unlikely.

Stay on boardwalks: hot springs have injured more people than any other natural feature (including animals).

Drive responsibly: observe posted speed limits and use pullouts to watch wildlife, take pictures, and let other cars pass.

Bears inhabit the entire park, not just the backcountry: learn how to travel safely in bear country.

Cell service and bandwidth are limited: don't be surprised if you can't receive calls or texts.

Explore beyond our borders: the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem includes much more than the park. Plan your trip to take in the vibrant communities, public lands, and natural wonders throughout this area.